Dragon Age: Origins - Gen. Discussion & Info

[quote name='uglyteradon']I was really hoping I could just install this to my hard-drive... oh well.[/QUOTE]

I mean, you can install it like any other 360 game, you just can't play it without the disc.

I played about 3 or 4 hours last night and I'm liking it so far, though I've encountered a few bugs. Nothing major, just missing mini-maps for some of the random encounters and occasional missing objects, etc.

Overall I'd say it's a good addition to the game, and the fact that I couldn't blow through it in half an hour like you can with most add-on content to me definitely argues that it's more than just DLC. Not regretting the price-tag so far at least.
 
I'll download it after my 3rd playthrough. Working on my rogue now, the mage and warrior campaigns were fun but as much as I like Lelianna now that I can pick locks she can help Alistair make dinner...plus hopefully by then they'll have patched and ironed out the kinks.
 
[quote name='Tony208']So I think I've figured out how it works on the :ps3: version.

If you buy the download version, you'll need the Origins disc to play Awakening.

If you buy the disc version, you'll use the Awakening disc to play Awakening. You can get rid of the Origins disc if you want and you don't even need it to install Awakening. You only need Origins installed on your hd.[/QUOTE]

K thanks.
I"ll just wait for a price drop or pick up a used copy at some point. I haven't even finished the original game yet. lol
 
Finished it, now at 1375/1375. :D

I really liked it a lot, but then Dragon Age was my favorite game of 09, so I was pre-disposed to like it. I was more focused on playing through and getting the achievements quickly, so I'm gonna give it another playthrough soon to really appreciate more of the sidequests I skipped this time around.

I think people's opinion of the expansion will be right in line with what they thought of Dragon Age in general, but I thought it was a great addition to the game.
 
[quote name='pete5883']How long did it take you?[/QUOTE]

Not sure exactly, under 10 hours for sure but (and I swear I'm not bragging here) I'm pretty good at the game. I also skipped a lot of the sidequests in favor of finishing up the main quest. I'd say on average there's about 15 hours of content, maybe a bit more.

Some of the boss fights in this one were genuinely tough and could take longer that some of the main game ones (which makes sense since the enemies are higher leveled). In particular there are several fights where you're facing multiple boss-level enemies at once.

None of the new recruits had as much personality as the main game ones, but I didn't really take the time to get to know them as well (one short playthrough versus three long ones on the main game will do that) but they're useful enough in combat.
 
[quote name='Matt Young']10-15 hours of content? That seems pretty damn skimpy for a $40 expansion.[/QUOTE]

While I don't disagree that it probably should have been $30, I still don't regret the purchase. To me it's a similar amount of additional content to the Shivering Isles expansion for Oblivion, which I believe released at $40 as well. I think the disconnect for many gamers comes because Bioware is still gearing a lot of their thinking on Dragon Age towards the PC, where full retail expansions are par for the course and are usually similarly priced. For better or worse, most console gamers are geared towards thinking of things as DLC which is why the price seems so outlandish.

Compared to the earlier Dragon Age DLC which contained maybe an hour or two of content a piece, there is a ton more to see and do in Awakening, which is in a lot of ways a standalone game (despite not actually standing alone, since you need DA:O to play).

I wonder if people would have viewed the expansion differently if it DIDN'T require DA:O (much like the GTA4 expansion). $40 for a single-player game with a main quest lasting 15 hours and a lot of replayability might have seemed like a bargain, that's a lot longer than a lot of full retail titles these days.
 
I also thought $40 is kinda high but the first hour alone made me feel like it was worth it. There's some hilarious moments, I won't spoil them for you. Anyways if you need a reason to get it, it's MORE DRAGON AGE.
 
I definitely was a bit shocked by the announcement of a $40 price tag. That's pretty high for an expansion, in my opinion. But honestly, whether we like it or not, 10 to 15 hours is considered a decent length for a single-player campaign nowadays. And most games are $60, so while I do wish this was $20 or $30, I have no issue with them putting it out at $40. I'm still probably going to wait on it, though.

Has anyone seen this in retail stores that are known for good clearances, like Target or Sears? This seems like the kind of thin that will end up $10 pretty quickly, just because it's such an expensive expansion.
 
[quote name='Matt Young']10-15 hours of content? That seems pretty damn skimpy for a $40 expansion.[/QUOTE]
It shouldn't be too much of a shock, it's been billed as 15 hours of content since day 1.
 
if EA & Bioware continue to pump out freebies to DA:O it'll definitely seem worth it, still imo $39.99 is a bit steep for a 10-15 hour campaign only when compared to Borderlands DLC. Granted Mad Moxxxie wasn't the pride of the fleet all 3 DLC's were 800 pts...I'm hoping Awakenings will drop in price soon. I'm surprised they didn't include exclusive content with an expiration date. Might have generated more sales. Even Dragon Age: Journies cheesy flash game on their website was a nice gesture, free equipment for registered owners.
 
I finished my first play through of the expansion pack today and clocked in around 21 hours. I tried to do every side quest and spent a little bit of time having the 3 special equipment pieces made as well. It was a blast doing disgusting amounts of damage on my ranger.

I think when I finished, I was topping out over 110 dexterity and almost every hit I did was a critical for over 250 damage, haha. Playing on normal was definitely way too easy so I recommend that people bump up the difficulty.

Definitely very satisfied with this expansion pack and looking forward to going through it again sometime as my asshole bi-sexual dwarf.
 
when i did the stats trick i ended up getting Stuck in the last page because i had to many points to spent and not enough places(skills) to put them. did they edit/fix/change it with awakening.?. I Like this trick but i don't like getting stuck.
 
[quote name='timesplitt']when i did the stats trick i ended up getting Stuck in the last page because i had to many points to spent and not enough places(skills) to put them. did they edit/fix/change it with awakening.?. I Like this trick but i don't like getting stuck.[/QUOTE]

No, I don't believe they've fixed that. They should also allow you to level up without using every single point you have. For example, if you have a specialization point but haven't yet unlocked the one you want, you need to wait until you do to level up if you want it. I'm sure they've heard this complaint and it would be fixable with a patch, but if they haven't done it by now I'm not sure they ever will.
 
I had $20 of Amazon credit that I needed to use by the end of this month, so I thought I'd just get the expansion, but when I think back I kind of wish I got Resonance of Fate instead considering I could probably get more hours out of it.

But whatever, I'm an hour into the expansion and the games as fun as I remember.
 
Just started playing this game last weekend. I chose a female dwarf rogue, and I'm about to go into my first battle for that asshole that is whoring out my sister. The learning curve seems kinda steep, so I hope I can pick up it quickly.

Which do you think is better: this or Oblivion?
 
[quote name='shieryda']Just started playing this game last weekend. I chose a female dwarf rogue, and I'm about to go into my first battle for that asshole that is whoring out my sister. The learning curve seems kinda steep, so I hope I can pick up it quickly.

Which do you think is better: this or Oblivion?[/QUOTE]This - by a mile.
 
[quote name='shieryda']Just started playing this game last weekend. I chose a female dwarf rogue, and I'm about to go into my first battle for that asshole that is whoring out my sister. The learning curve seems kinda steep, so I hope I can pick up it quickly.

Which do you think is better: this or Oblivion?[/QUOTE]
I prefer the exploration and environments of Oblivion. I think Dragon Age has better combat, mainly because of the team battle nature. The story seems pretty decent/good in both.

By the way I got myself stuck on the dream world mission thing. I have all 4 of the special abilites, but the only thing I have left is the massive doors. I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to take down those massive doors. I was told you have to use the colossus guy's boulder hurl but that isn't knocking the doors down for me.

EDIT: I figured it out, just gotta press A, instead of trying to use one of the special attacks >_
 
[quote name='shieryda']Just started playing this game last weekend. I chose a female dwarf rogue, and I'm about to go into my first battle for that asshole that is whoring out my sister. The learning curve seems kinda steep, so I hope I can pick up it quickly.

Which do you think is better: this or Oblivion?[/QUOTE]

This, by a long shot. I bought the Oblivion GOTY in an Amazon B2G1 on PH, because I loved, loved, loved, loved Fallout 3. Sank far too many hours into it. But Oblivion was not my cup of tea. For me, the characters felt even more lifeless than they did in Fallout 3, the environments did nothing for me, and the combat was boring.
 
I agree that Dragon Age is better, but Oblivion is fairly epic as well. Dragon Age is certainly a much tighter experience while Oblivion is WAY bigger. For me it really depends what I'm in the mood for, but I love both games.
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']This, by a long shot. I bought the Oblivion GOTY in an Amazon B2G1 on PH, because I loved, loved, loved, loved Fallout 3. Sank far too many hours into it. But Oblivion was not my cup of tea. For me, the characters felt even more lifeless than they did in Fallout 3, the environments did nothing for me, and the combat was boring.[/QUOTE]

lets face it, if fallout3 were to happen, and you walked around, I'd imagine it'd be more boring than you could imagine.

1"hey what you doing."
2"I'm worshiping the disarmed nuke."
1"you've been doing that for the past month."
2"yea i have. and that radio guys been playing the same 4 songs for the past Decade."
 
I'm really liking this game so far, but I keep making choices that don't allow me to explore the room I'm in (search chests/barrels) before I get a cut-scene and transported to another part of the map. I doubt I'm missing out on much in the way of loot, but it's kinda annoying.

How long do you think it will be before the dlc packs go on sale on the Marketplace?
 
Don't forget you can get the expansion disk for $19.95 plus tax with free shipping from the EA Store if you use code PAXEAST842 before April 9.
 
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[quote name='timesplitt']lets face it, if fallout3 were to happen, and you walked around, I'd imagine it'd be more boring than you could imagine.

1"hey what you doing."
2"I'm worshiping the disarmed nuke."
1"you've been doing that for the past month."
2"yea i have. and that radio guys been playing the same 4 songs for the past Decade."[/QUOTE]


I agree 100%.
 
[quote name='shieryda']I'm really liking this game so far, but I keep making choices that don't allow me to explore the room I'm in (search chests/barrels) before I get a cut-scene and transported to another part of the map. I doubt I'm missing out on much in the way of loot, but it's kinda annoying.
[/QUOTE]

You're not missing much, as you say. As a pretty-much universal rule, there is nothing useful in chests in the game.
 
[quote name='bvharris']You're not missing much, as you say. As a pretty-much universal rule, there is nothing useful in chests in the game.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I suppose there is better loot on the corpses that my party and I have slain.:D The chests usually have the runes and health potions. Does putting points into your strength also increase your carrying capacity (like most rpgs)? How do you get "backpacks" in the game?
 
I totally bit, $20 for the Awakening is my price point. Mines still in transit but hopefully should arrive in about 2-3 days. yay Paxeast code.
 
[quote name='shieryda']Yeah, I suppose there is better loot on the corpses that my party and I have slain.:D The chests usually have the runes and health potions. Does putting points into your strength also increase your carrying capacity (like most rpgs)? How do you get "backpacks" in the game?[/QUOTE]

Str doesn't help carry capacity in anyway, here's the most useful bit of information for backpacks hands down.
when you 1st reach camp Ostagar, go to the vendor and buy the backpack upgrade....after you come back from the Kocari Wilds go back to the same vendor and by the background upgrade again. This will be the only time in the game you will be able to purchase the backpack upgrade for less than 1 gold and you can do it twice. Make sure you do this, unless you're dup gold and items then do whatever you want because money apparently isnt an issue. hail to the king baby...hail to the king.
 
[quote name='100xp']Str doesn't help carry capacity in anyway, here's the most useful bit of information for backpacks hands down.
when you 1st reach camp Ostagar, go to the vendor and buy the backpack upgrade....after you come back from the Kocari Wilds go back to the same vendor and by the background upgrade again. This will be the only time in the game you will be able to purchase the backpack upgrade for less than 1 gold and you can do it twice. Make sure you do this, unless you're dup gold and items then do whatever you want because money apparently isnt an issue. hail to the king baby...hail to the king.
[/QUOTE]

Will I have to clear the cache to do that gold or item dup. glitch? I NEEDZ MOAR MONEYZ!!!
 
I was liking this game before I went on vacation last week, but now I am LOVING it. I got to the party camp with Bodhan (whatever the merchant's name is with the Enchanter son), and got some kick-ass weapons and armor for my entire party. Plus, I got both backpacks by buying one, entering the world map and then returning to camp to discover that another backpack was available in the shop. Does anyone know how many backpack upgrades your character can purchase?

I bought some grandmaster runes and put 3 of them into a weapon that I unfortunately won't be able to use for a while, but at least I have it in my inventory.:D Still need to figure out what to do with the manuals that I bought, and I think I got something for both Mages in my party that will give them each a skill point or something. I was getting tired and turned off the console before I could go through that stuff.

Edit: It sounds like 120 is the max for carrying capacity (through backpacks), so I have 3 more backpacks to find.
 
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Did anyone actually buy that Feastday DLC? Or if anyone knows a site that shows it I just wanted to look at it but NO WAY am I paying for that stuff like that.
 
Bought Awakening for $20 and have played through it.

It's really good for $20, $40 may be a little steep. I found Origins to play out very predictable, while Awakening throws in curve balls with the characters and story. It comes out less polished and rushed, but I think concept wise Awakenings is a better game. There is a ton of endgame loot, which the original game didn't have. They also introduce a rune crafting system and a bunch of new rune types, so there is a ton of gear tweaking. After you beat the final boss there are a series of about 15 screens which tells you about what happens to the characters and locations, based on what choices you made.

I think my final play time was about 15 hours.
 
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[quote name='wakawakawa']
It's really good for $20, $40 may be a little steep. I found Origins to play out very predictable, while Awakening throws in curves balls with the characters and story. It comes out less polished and rushed, but I think concept wise Awakenings is a better game. There is a ton of endgame loot, which the original game didn't have. They also introduce a rune crafting system and a bunch of new rune types, so there is a ton of gear tweaking. After you beat the final boss there are a series of about 15 screens which tells you about what happens to the characters and locations, based on what choices you made.
[/QUOTE]

In Origin's defense, it had this as well.

[quote name='LaraCroftsLeftBoob']are they planning on releasing anymore expansions or DLC?

real DLC i mean, not cheesy stuff like feastday crap.[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't be at all shocked if they did, considering they haven't used their maximum number of Achievements yet. I don't think we'll see another full retail expansion (though it's possible) but I'd expect some more DLC.
 
[quote name='wakawakawa']Bought Awakening for $20 and have played through it.

It's really good for $20, $40 may be a little steep. I found Origins to play out very predictable, while Awakening throws in curves balls with the characters and story. It comes out less polished and rushed, but I think concept wise Awakenings is a better game. There is a ton of endgame loot, which the original game didn't have. They also introduce a rune crafting system and a bunch of new rune types, so there is a ton of gear tweaking. After you beat the final boss there are a series of about 15 screens which tells you about what happens to the characters and locations, based on what choices you made.

I think my final play time was about 15 hours.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the comments! I just purchased the Expansion at this price the other day and it shipped so I'm just waiting for it to arrive. $20 was perfect for me! :)
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Awakenings for $20? Where?[/QUOTE]

From the EA store (ea.com) with coupon code PAXEAST842. Tempted to get it myself, but I can wait for a drop on Goozex.
 
Well I'm a few hours into Awakening now, and I have to say, I like it better than the main game. For one thing, Bioware really tightened up the graphics on level three-- the lighting looks better, faces are more animated, textures seem less smeary, and overall the environment design is a lot more impressive. The new characters are great too. I'm already more interested in who Nathaniel Howe is as a person than pretty much the entire cast of Origins combined. And if it was possible to romance Velanna, the Warden's devotion to Morrigan might be seriously tested right now. :)
 
I bought all the dlc last night, except for Awakening. Haven't even finished the main game yet, but oh well. I mainly bought the extra stuff for the storage chest, since I have a couple items I can't use yet.
 
It does kind of suck that you can't bring DLC items into Awakening. I miss my Starfang. Luckily the Cailan armor set does carry over for whatever reason.
 
I think I'm about to have some dwarf-on-human lovin'. I'm playing as a female dwarf, and it seems that Alistair has taking a liking to my ass. He gave me a rose, but when I asked him about sexin', he got all shy.
 
Alastair is the one romance I still need.
I had Anora execute that whiny fool in my first Origins playthrough. Bet he wished he hadn't given me all that trouble about Morrigan!
 
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